My head was still firmly rested in my hands when someone knocked pretty hard and distinctively on the front door. My heart started thumping.
What if it was Caleb and he was back to shout at me? But what if it was James coming to shout at me as well? Either way I was in a bad situation.
Slowly, I tip toed over to the door, hoping that whoever it was, would leave before I got there. But, just my luck, the dark shadowy figure was still standing outside the door but knocked again, this time heavier. Meaning that they probably weren't leaving.
I opened the door, frightened for my life. Only to see the same dark figure that punched Caleb at the party the other day. I was wrong. This situation was much worse than seeing Caleb or James.
"Ah, you must be-," The man said, waiting for my reply, I didn't want to reply but I was too scared of what would happen if I didn't. "Gabriella" I shouted quickly, sounding like a scared little girl, which I was.
"So you're the girl Caleb had his eyes on at the party," I gulped back immediately, almost swallowing my own tongue and all the saliva that remained in my mouth. Then again, I'd rather do that than be here with this man.
"Who are you?" my voice squeaked out, barely recognisable as my own.
"I'm Jake Andrews," His last name was the same as Caleb's, that could only mean that he's- "I'm his older brother," he finished for me, sending a shiver through my body. Although I was terrified and wanting to get away, there was still a burning question in my mind.
Why was he here and why was he talking to me?
"Caleb hasn't told you about me has he?" I shook my head, trying to not show that I was practically shaking inside. Flora had mentioned that he had an older brother at school when she learnt so much about him, but Caleb or his family had never mentioned another sibling.
"Looks like your boyfriend has been hiding some things from you, hasn't he?" He whispered evilly, a small, yet horrible smile had slowly crept onto his face as he spoke. "He's not my boyfriend" I argued back, angrier as I was remembering the argument I had just had with Caleb just a little more than ten minutes ago.
"Well, let me tell you a few things about Caleb," he started, letting himself through the door "here, sit down." He led me over to the kitchen table where I obeyed his orders and sat down out of a fear that was still running through me.
By now, my teeth were chattering and I was so scared of what he would do to me. If he could punch his own brother, god knows what he could do to someone he's only just met.
"Your boyfriend used to get into a lot of fights," he began speaking once I was sat down, "well, he probably still does, for all I know." I nodded hesitantly, continuing to listen to what this man had to say.
"He is not my boyfriend!" I shouted back angrier again.
"Well, your friend was a fighter," nothing he was saying really surprised me, "and I was his-" he stopped and searched for what he was going to say next, "how do you call it? Manager," confusion was plastered across my face since I wasn't quite sure why he was telling me this, but he carried on anyway, ignoring the looks he was receiving from me.
"I used to help him," he paused and stared around the house like it was the first time he had ever seen it. I twiddled with my hands before looking up at a man who possessed familiar features to Caleb. "Help hi m do what?"
"Fight." I stared widely before letting him continue with what he was saying. Why he was telling me of all people, I was yet to find out. "But one day, he came to me, out of the blue, telling me that he had-" he paused again.
The fact that he was taking a while to tell me was frustrating me to no end.
"He had killed someone fighting." My breathing hitched in my throat as he spoke. Sweat erupted onto my hands with my heart racing as fast as it could. I swallowed back and stared down at the ground.
My whole body felt weak.
Caleb had killed someone.
I could hardly get the words out in my mind. "Is that why he went to-?" I asked but I couldn't get the words out. The reason Caleb was in juvenile prison was because he murdered someone, not just because he was a troubled kid.
"No," he started speaking again, "that was for stealing a motorbike, it's not about that, it's the fact that I think he's dangerous." I listened closely to his words, and he sounded more genuine than I had ever heard Caleb be, "and I'm scared for me and my wife, Annabelle," the name sounded familiar in my head, and that was because he mentioned it when he punched Caleb at the party.
"And so why were you at the party?" I asked him, gulping again. The words 'Caleb killed someone' were still stuck in the back of my mind that I wasn't sure what questions I should be asking this man.
I was in denial.
He sighed heavily. "Caleb has been driving past my house often, and we didn't know what to think, I just wanted him to stay away from us, I don't want him around her," his face showed complete fear and hopelessness, something I was had seen in my mother when she had told me about my father.
"Just tell him to stay away from us!" he shouted as he stormed out and slammed the door behind him, leaving me in complete shock. I was still processing whatever it was that Jake had just told me.
The lump in my throat was bigger than ever and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Running to the tap, I poured a glass of water and drank the whole thing without stopping, making me feel sick at the end of it.
I felt a hole in my stomach and I didn't even want to look at Caleb right now. I didn't even know if what Jake was telling me was the truth. All I knew was that his face showed only fear, and someone wouldn't just show that kind of fear if they weren't that scared of someone or something.
Suddenly, once again, the door opened, this time without a knock. "Who is it?" I shouted out as I wrapped a hand around a knife, not pulling it out of its place. I was so frightened that Jake would be back.
Instead, my heart rate went back to its normal state when Clara and Kylie walked through the door. I breathed a sigh of relief as I let go of the knife and steadied myself by sitting down again. "Hey, Gabby, are you okay? We saw you fall earlier?" Clara asked softly, she was so much more different than her brothers.
"Not really, I'm fine about the falling, but your brother was here earlier," I tried to question but instead, was greeted by her questioning face. I guess she couldn't exactly know which brother I was talking about
"Um, Caleb texted me earlier, he said he'll be back later," she said as if I'd gone mad. Although, I felt like I had after the conversation I had recently had with her other brother. "No, Jake was here," I finished quietly but I knew I wasn't mad when Clara went silent and swallowed heavily
"Um, ask Caleb?" she told me hesitantly as her and Kylie walked up the stairs, leaving me to wonder why she acted so weird when I mentioned Jake.
• • •
Caleb arrived home around two hours later and I was already tucked up in bed when he entered my room. Hoping he was going to apologise for arguing with me, he didn't. He sat on my bed and put his hand on my waist.
He did realise that I still had a boyfriend right?
I didn't want to turn around because I didn't want to see his face and feel scared of him. That's not something I wanted. I turned around quickly, ignoring his pleading stare. "Clara told me who came by earlier." I sat up as he moved closer.
"Whatever he's told you is a lie."